Global Bankers

Islamic banking assets in Qatar were valued at $97bn by the end of 2017, which constituted nearly 81% of the total Islamic finance assets, said QFC Authority chief executive officer Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida. In the past five years, the growth of Islamic banking industry assets in Qatar has outpaced that of the conventional banking industry, he said at an event here on Monday. Source: Islamic banking assets in Qatar valued at $97bn by end-2017: QFC Authority CEO

Standard Chartered gets approval to open unit in Saudi Arabia. Saudi currently has 27 banks operating in the kingdom, 15 of which are foreign banks Source: Standard Chartered gets approval to open unit in Saudi Arabia – Gulf Business

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has sealed a $4bn midstream pipeline infrastructure deal with U.S. investment firms KKR and BlackRock, the government-owned company said on Sunday. ADNOC has been expanding through strategic partnerships since 2017. Last month it won a combined $5.8bn investment from Italy’s Eni and Austria’s OMV for a stake in its refining business to establish a new trading operation owned by the three partners. Source: UAE’s ADNOC seals $4bn pipeline infrastructure deal with KKR, BlackRock – Gulf Business

LONDON – Investment banks have warned M&A teams in Britain they cannot pitch business to clients in the European Union if there is a no-deal Brexit without an EU “chaperone” sitting in on their meeting, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Source: London bankers will need ‘chaperones’ for EU clients under no-deal Brexit – sources | ZAWYA MENA Edition

SoftBank to hire Deutsche Bank’s Saudi Arabia head – report Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment has a $45 billion stake in the SoftBank-managed Vision Fund. According to the report, Saudi national Ziyad Al Ashaikh has already quit Deutsche Bank, although it remains unclear when he will begin working with SoftBank. Source: SoftBank to hire Deutsche Bank’s Saudi Arabia head – report – ArabianBusiness.com

The old charges against Citi’s wholesale banking division no longer apply. Its scale and breadth are a big positive that no other bank can match. Its diversity and balance are clear strengths that its competitors increasingly envy. As a firm, it’s more joined up than anyone thought possible. And its clients value what Citi can deliver more than ever before. Source: Awards for Excellence 2018: Who you gonna call? How Citi became clients’ go-to global investment bank | Euromoney

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia named its new central bank governor on Friday, choosing a woman who had been a former deputy governor assisting investigations into the 1MDB scandal, and who has most recently held a senior role at the International Monetary Fund. Source: Malaysia picks new central bank chief, she puts focus on stability | Reuters

The Bank of England has voted to hold the base rate at 0.5% with a 6-3 MPC split, indicating that the rate could rise in August. Three Monetary Policy Committee members, including the Bank’s chief economist, Andrew Haldane, voted to raise rates to 0.75%. Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney voted to hold rates at 0.5%. Source: Bank of England votes 6-3 to hold base rate at 0.5% | Mortgage Introducer

Things have been on the up for the GCC’s banks, which collectively recorded a better year in 2017 despite slowing economic growth in the region as a whole.Banking activity was supported by a higher oil price and continued infrastructure investment as Gulf states diversify their economies in various ways. Commercial activity in the region expanded in 2017 and consumer confidence grew, albeit slightly. As a result, our list of the region’s 50 leading banks – ranking institutions in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – recorded higher net profit in 2017. Source: Revealed: Top 10 banks in the

The chief financial officer of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has resigned after four years in the job.The bank, which is 72% owned by UK taxpayers, said Ewen Stevenson would “take up an opportunity elsewhere”. Source: RBS finance chief quits the bank – BBC News